Tucker Moneymaker — (1991 FDA Hearings)

Department Of Health And Human Services Public Health Service Food And Drug Administration

FDA Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Hearings

Friday, September 20, 1991

DR. CASEY: Thank you. Tucker Moneymaker, please?

MR. MONEYMAKER: Thank you. On behalf of myself and thousands of other citizens in the states of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, of which I happen to be the Prozac Survivor Director for these three states, I want to say thank you for allowing the public to come up here and speak and voice their opinion about this dangerous drug.

I also want to tell everybody that these are real stories, real people. This is not something written down on a piece of paper, something somebody wrote up somewhere. These are real things that are happening.

My story is also real. It’s just a real nightmare, something I have to live with every day. I had two sons, David Lee, age 8, and Billy, 16, a wife of 20 years, is all gone. I’ll tell you why. In March of this year my wife, Sandra, had some nerve problems. She was asked to go be evaluated. The doctor put her on Prozac. He told her she was depressed because she was having nerve problems.

Now, I want you to keep this in mind, how my wife was, just a little short story. My wife was the kind of mother that always put the kids first. She would take her kids back and forth to school every day. My 8-year-old never rode a school bus. My wife was tied up in the church, tied up in Cub Scouts and room mother at school.

I heard these people talking about scientific data. I want to show them some scientific data. This is scientific data right here. I want you all to look at it. This is scientific data for those who say we don’t have scientific data.

I haven’t slept but about two hours since Sunday.

I want to apologize if I sound a little shaky. After being on Prozac for 21 days, my wife shot and killed both of these two boys right here. She turned the gun on herself and shot herself herself twice. Now she’s in jail for murder.

This is the kind of lady that never took a drug, no mixed drinks, no alcohol, no reason to be depressed, just some nerve problems, like everybody has from time to time. I’m depressed. I’ve got legitimate reason to be depressed. I want to ask you all, don’t let this happen to anybody else. These are real people. You know, these murders and things are senseless. It’s time to put a stop to it.